Visiting Cáceres in 24 Hours

It was a challenge. We had 24 hours to visit Cáceres, Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to a long list of must-see monuments.

Armed with some travel tips from our friend Will, we set out to conquer Cáceres and prove that 24 hours was plenty of time to enjoy a new city.

Cáceres Travel Recommendations

Transportation

We decided to take the Renfe train from Navalmoral de la Mata to Cáceres. It was quiet and comfortable with stunning views of the countryside and mountains. Cáceres also has a bus station with various lines connecting cities throughout Spain.

Hotel

When Ale and I look for a hotel when traveling, we look for the best quality at the lowest price. Hotel Don Carlos was a perfect combination. Ideally located right in the center of Cáceres, it is an easy 20 minute walk from the train station. We loved its historic, cozy feel, super friendly reception staff, free wifi and delicious breakfast buffet.

The simple and comfortable room at Hotel Don Carlos.

Tapas

We arrived to Cáceres absolutely starving. Sightseeing would have to wait—my stomach is my priority. We did a risky thing, and asked the hotel staff for a lunch recommendation. In our experience this often backfires, as the smiling staff member sends us to terrible, overpriced tourist spots. Upon realizing that her recommendation was in the main square I was truly tempted to turn around, but hunger won out and we sat down.

El Puchero is the first of many restaurants lining one side of the Plaza Mayor. Touristy or not, it offers a creative tapas menu at great prices. We tried migas, stewed beef cheek with chorizo, grilled cod over wild mushrooms and gilled pork tenderloin with foie gras and melted Torta del Casar (the region’s famous sheep’s cheese). Everything was delicious—eat there if you visit Cáceres!

Shopping

We didn’t have time to do much shopping, but when it started to downpour we did need to buy an umbrella. Calle Pintores is a good option for almost anything you need.

Monuments

When you walk around the historic center of Cáceres it seems like everything is a monument (and I’m fairly sure it is!) I wish I could tell you exactly what we saw, but we preferred to just wander around, reading the descriptions of the buildings and occasionally looking up more information on our phones. What did strike me as amazing about the center is that it is uncorrupted by stores and restaurants. There is hardly anything commercial about it and it feels like you are back in the medieval period!

One of the beautiful churches in Cáceres.

Cáceres, City of Statues!

Slaying the Dragon!Who is this woman?

Dinner

We looked up some tempting places to eat dinner but with the rain we decided to stay in. We made a quick stop at one of the specialty shops for some regional cheese and chorizo, and grabbed a bottle of wine and loaf of bread. A humble dinner, yes, but delicious all the same!

Extra Time?

If you find yourself with more time to spend in Cáceres, try one of these places we did not get to check out—then come back and tell us how it was!

Hi Lauren! I also think Cáceres is small enough to see in a day. The only sight you didn’t mention that I would recommend in the future is the huge statue of Jesus at the top of the hill – great look-out spot of the city! Hope you get to see it someday All of these images brought back memories for me, since my husband is from there. PS love Torta del Casar! Glad you got to try it, and I hope you and your husband enjoyed Cáceres!

No, unfortunately, we don’t make it back often since moving to the US. We’ve lived in the US for about two and a half years now together, and we’ve only made it back to Spain once But every time we go, we visit Caceres to see my suegros I always enjoy seeing the sights (in your pictures) every time we go because they bring back great memories. So glad you enjoyed your trip, and I am really enjoying your series on Extremadura!

Christene, Fonz and I did Cáceres on a rainy December afternoon. Since it’s small enough, I think that a day does it, as well as you can do several other cities in Spain in one day: Aranjuéz, Oviedo, Córdoba, Aracena… And, por cierto, when we saw El Puchero in the Plaza Maypr, we hatched the plan for me to oen an academy called El Puchero!

You should totally open El Puchero English academy Cat! Sounds delicious (and educational). I’d agree with you on 1 day being enough for Aranjuéz and Aracena, haven’t been no Oviedo (yet) but Córdoba deserves more time!

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[...] for its Torta del Casar, a sheep’s milk cheese that will melt your heart. It originates in Cáceres, Spain, where there are only ten family run cheese farms producing it. The special breeds of sheep raised [...]